Reviewed February 1, 2003.
Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 2000.  116 pages.
A Sonderbooks’ Stand-out of 2003:  #1, Children's Fantasy
Available at Sembach Library (JF VAN).

I liked Heir Apparent, by Vivian Vande Velde, so much that I had to try another of her books.  I found it absolutely delightful!

If you stop to think about it, “Rumpelstiltskin” is a very strange story that doesn’t make a lot of sense.  For example, why would the miller make such an outrageous promise, and why was he talking to the king, anyway?  And why would the little man want a baby?

On pondering these and other questions about the story, Vivian Vande Velde came up with six new versions of the Rumpelstiltskin story, all of which are beautifully logical.  I like the one where the miller’s daughter ends up running off with Rumpelstiltskin because he’s so much nicer than the king.  Great fun!

Reviews of other books by Vivian Vande Velde:
Cloaked in Red
Frogged
Heir Apparent
Three Good Deeds
User Unfriendly
Wizard at Work
A Hidden Magic
A Well-Timed Enchantment
Dragon's Bait
23 Minutes

Copyright © 2003 Sondra Eklund.  All rights reserved.

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